Aimpoint express

shaneon77

I'm about to sign up for the clinic with Donal Scott golf. Can anyone here give me the rundown on what it entails and how it will benefit me.
Its steep enough but maybe just what I need to get the handicap down a bit.
Cheers

jimjim12

Hi, I did the class about a month ago and have found it great. As you say it's not cheap, but how much would you pay for 4 1/2 hour lessons from a pro?
The class was about 2 hours long, there was plenty time for one on one with Donal. I now find reading the green much quicker.

alxmorgan

jimjim12 wrote: »

Hi, I did the class about a month ago and have found it great. As you say it's not cheap, but how much would you pay for 4 1/2 hour lessons from a pro?
The class was about 2 hours long, there was plenty time for one on one with Donal. I now find reading the green much quicker.

How would you summarise it ?

jimjim12

It's about learning where to aim when putting. First we learnt about how to differentiate between different slopes using your feet. Using this information you would then aim at a different point depending on the speed of the green. The class covers both short and long putts, single and double braking putts. There are many clips on youtube which talk about it, but this one shows it in action youtube.com/watch?v=pOZwodzSAyo

benny79

This sounds good. I'm brutal at reading greens, Do they tell you if you have the wrong putter etc as well? and where is it held and how much if you don't mind me asking?

Dr_Colossus

jimjim12 wrote: »

It's about learning where to aim when putting. First we learnt about how to differentiate between different slopes using your feet. Using this information you would then aim at a different point depending on the speed of the green. The class covers both short and long putts, single and double braking putts. There are many clips on youtube which talk about it, but this one shows it in action youtube.com/watch?v=pOZwodzSAyo

It's all new to me but after having looked at that video thought the preshot routine looked painfully slow and bordering on the ridiculous and akin to something one of ParLance's many "testing" playing partners might invoke. What was the idea with the finger lining up the putt between ball and hole? Think I'll stick to my existing method for now.

PARlance

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

It's all new to me but after having looked at that video thought the preshot routine looked painfully slow and bordering on the ridiculous and akin to something one of ParLance's many "testing" playing partners might invoke. What was the idea with the finger lining up the putt between ball and hole? Think I'll stick to my existing method for now.

jez, I love my playing partners really.
I've just met 2 real characters in as many weeks.

I'd have to agree with you there.
I find it quite ironic that the commentator calls the correct line of the putt as we're watching him trying to balance on the green.

But this is from the man that always tries to ensure he has a German Euro coin to mark my putts. I've even called into a shop before a round to break a tenner for singles in order to get my Deutsche Marker
That said, Aimpoint strikes me as a bit OTT

GreeBo

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

It's all new to me but after having looked at that video thought the preshot routine looked painfully slow and bordering on the ridiculous and akin to something one of ParLance's many "testing" playing partners might invoke. What was the idea with the finger lining up the putt between ball and hole? Think I'll stick to my existing method for now.

Played with a guy a few weeks ago using this method and was soon ready to kill him.
Walking the line and then stopping halfway with his eyes closed...then doing the finger thingy...all while it was someone elses turn to putt.
Walked all over a few peoples lines and took forever.

Reading greens is about practice and exposure.
Head out to the putting green with a handfull of balls and roll them towards the hole.
None of the above nonsnese is needed imo.

Quahog217

GreeBo wrote: »

Played with a guy a few weeks ago using this method and was soon ready to kill him.
Walking the line and then stopping halfway with his eyes closed...then doing the finger thingy...all while it was someone elses turn to putt.
Walked all over a few peoples lines and took forever.

Reading greens is about practice and exposure.
Head out to the putting green with a handfull of balls and roll them towards the hole.
None of the above nonsnese is needed imo.

Nonsense? A bit of a harsh statement no? No 1 player in the world is using it so I am guessing it must have some advantages. That said I am sure its not everyone's cup of tea. Don't get me wrong I wouldn't use it myself but just because I don't like it I wouldn't just brand it as nonsense.

paulos53

I played a game recently with a boardsie who was using the Aimpoint method and didn't think that it slowed down play at all.

From what I witnessed a lot of the work is done when walking on to the green for the first time and only involved a short pause. When it was his turn to putt he spent a few seconds with the outstretched fingers to figure out what point to aim at. Any method of reading the line takes just as long and the Aimpoint method was a lot quicker than somebody reading the line from both sides of the hole

I suspect that anybody who is slow with the Aimpoint was just as slow with their pre-shot routine before they learned this method

GreeBo

Quahog217 wrote: »

Nonsense? A bit of a harsh statement no? No 1 player in the world is using it so I am guessing it must have some advantages. That said I am sure its not everyone's cup of tea. Don't get me wrong I wouldn't use it myself but just because I don't like it I wouldn't just brand it as nonsense.

Was he using it before he was number one?
Is he the best putter in the world?
Does it already take them 5 years hours to play a round of golf?

Plenty of gret putters dont use it, I dont see it as required hence, to me, its nonsense.

alxmorgan

GreeBo wrote: »

Was he using it before he was number one?
Is he the best putter in the world?
Does it already take them 5 years hours to play a round of golf?

Plenty of gret putters dont use it, I dont see it as required hence, to me, its nonsense.

Nonsense : Subject matter, behavior, or language that is foolish or absurd.

Plenty of great footballers used to drink, smoke and eat fries before games. Healthy diet and lifestyle ? Nonsense !!

GreeBo

alxmorgan wrote: »

Nonsense : Subject matter, behavior, or language that is foolish or absurd.

Plenty of great footballers used to drink, smoke and eat fries before games. Healthy diet and lifestyle ? Nonsense !!

Way off topic, but how much better/longer could their careers have been had they not lived that lifestyle?

Walking up and down with your eyes closed may be useful for divining water, for taking a putt, imo, its nonsense.
How did the game get this far without people divining the line?

alxmorgan

GreeBo wrote: »

Way off topic, but how much better/longer could their careers have been had they not lived that lifestyle?

Walking up and down with your eyes closed may be useful for divining water, for taking a putt, imo, its nonsense.
How did the game get this far without people divining the line?

Off topic as you say so I'll leave it but I think describing something you don't agree with as nonsense is nonsense.

jimjim12

shaneon77 wrote: »

I'm about to sign up for the clinic with Donal Scott golf. Can anyone here give me the rundown on what it entails and how it will benefit me.
Its steep enough but maybe just what I need to get the handicap down a bit.
Cheers

If you do go ahead and take the class let us know what you think.

GreeBo

alxmorgan wrote: »

Off topic as you say so I'll leave it but I think describing something you don't agree with as nonsense is nonsense.

Nonsense!

Milkers

Always comical to see hackers ridiculing the techniques some of the best in the world are experimenting with.

Montgolfier

Milkers wrote: »

Always comical to see hackers ridiculing the techniques some of the best in the world are experimenting with.

I think the problem is some young golfers are imitating these methods slow the game to a snails pace. I really don't think they putt any better.
I have played with a 4 Hcp junior lately he did all the above oblivious to the guys on the tee box and the group in front gone out of sight. He still couldn't make a putt.
I'd rather see them imitating Brant Snedeker, the game would be a whole lot more enjoyable.
I only look at the ball from behind and putt, my putting been great of late dropped 4 shots last 4 comps.

Reganovski

GreeBo wrote: »

Played with a guy a few weeks ago using this method and was soon ready to kill him.
Walking the line and then stopping halfway with his eyes closed...then doing the finger thingy...all while it was someone elses turn to putt.
Walked all over a few peoples lines and took forever.

Reading greens is about practice and exposure.
Head out to the putting green with a handfull of balls and roll them towards the hole.
None of the above nonsnese is needed imo.

GreeBo, the above guy was doing it incorrectly if he was taking ages. Its called "express" for a reason. (Even if that reason is that its faster than the standard Aimpoint )
You are 100% correct that reading greens is about practice and exposure but we can all do it differently, whether thats nonsensically or sensibly iyo!

paulos53 wrote: »

I played a game recently with a boardsie who was using the Aimpoint method and didn't think that it slowed down play at all.

From what I witnessed a lot of the work is done when walking on to the green for the first time and only involved a short pause. When it was his turn to putt he spent a few seconds with the outstretched fingers to figure out what point to aim at. Any method of reading the line takes just as long and the Aimpoint method was a lot quicker than somebody reading the line from both sides of the hole

I suspect that anybody who is slow with the Aimpoint was just as slow with their pre-shot routine before they learned this method

The above boardsie that paulos53 refers to is myself at Gowran. As he says, I try to walk the line of the putt (the low of side of it actually, making sure I don't walk on anyone elses line!) when I'm taking the flag out of the hole. I might pause midway to get a feeling of the slope but that shouldn't take very long. Its simply then returning to your ball and using your fingers to get an aimpoint and then pulling the trigger.

By the way, you don't use your fingers from inside 10 feet so its simply standing over your ball and judging the slope.

I haven't really done much practice of grading the slope as of yet but I still have a decent feel for it. Only problem lately was my stroke deserted me, hence a few 3 putts and a 4 putt in Gowran

I think that it has definitely helped me for distance putts. My judgement on putts over 30 feet has greatly improved and I'm definitely not slower.
Its quicker that judging the line from behind the hole, side of the hole etc imo.